The United States of America has always been a diverse and heterogeneous society. As a result, theatre has always been a place for diverse storytelling. Native American theatre has existed for centuries and is rooted in ancient practices of storytelling. According to the readings, ethnic theatre's prominence coincided with waves of immigration and with the expansion of diasporic communities. For example, African American theatre began in lower Manhattan in the early 1800s. It's important to note however, that some of these art forms severely hurt the reputation of various ethnic groups. Minstrel shows for example, capitalized on the comic enactment of racist stereotypes of African Americans through tactics like blackface and musical numbers. Eventually this grew out of fashion and independent black theatre took prominence particularly during the Harlem renaissance of the 1920s. Similarly, different ethnic groups began to find their niche in theatre and art as immigration occurred. Theatre served as a rallying point for storytelling and community activism for many of these groups. Groups like Luis Valdez's El Teatro Campesino served as the setting for community organizing amongst the migrant farmworker community. However, various policies and social sentiments often left ethnic theatre in the fringe of the theatrical community. It eventually gained recognition as a valuable art form and as our country continues to ask questions about the American identity and who is included in it, ethnic theatre attempts to answer these questions. In some ways, some might argue that Lin Manuel Miranda brought ethnic theatre to the forefront of the mainstream with shows like Hamilton and In the Heights in particular. In the Heights tells the story of the Caribbean diaspora in Washington Heights through ethnic and urban art forms like rap, salsa, and merengue. The trend of ethnic theatre is likely to continue as ethnic groups demand safe spaces for creativity and storytelling.